Authors at Harbourfront Centre Named Finalist for 2013 Premier's Awards for Excellence in the Arts

The Ontario Arts Council announced yesterday that Authors at Harbourfront Centre (AUTHORS) has been selected as one of 12 finalists for this year’s Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, which celebrate the creative contributions of artists and arts organizations to communities across the province.

As AUTHORS looks ahead to their 40th anniversary this fall for their weekly reading series and the 34th annual International Festival of Authors, this nomination comes as a great honour.

Two winners, one in the category of Artist and another in the category of Arts Organization, will be announced at a ceremony on June 27, 2013 at the Royal Ontario Museum. The Arts Organization Award winner will receive $50,000. Finalists were selected from a group of nominees by the Ontario Arts Council and have been judged based on merit by a jury of peers.

The Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts recognize artists and organizations practicing any professional arts in Ontario. They are administered by the Ontario Arts Council, which provides over 50 funding programs to Ontario artists and arts organizations.

It may be called a shortlist but 362 submissions have been nominated for the 35th annual National Magazine Awards. This year’s awards consist of 45 written, visual, integrated and special categories. The finalists will be announced on June 7th at the 35th anniversary National Magazine Awards gala in Toronto. We are delighted to note that Open Book: Toronto's Contributing Editor, Grace O'Connell, was nominated twice in the fiction category.

Below is a look at the nominations in a few of the written categories.